Fourth Sunday in Lent (John 9:1-41)  4/3/2011

“Where’s the beef?!” Nearly 30 years ago a trio of burger-loving ladies made this phrase very popular as they appeared in a number of Wendy’s restaurant advertisements. For Wendy’s restaurants – this phrase meant to highlight the small burgers they claimed that their competitors offered, but soon the phrase was incorporated into the political debates of that year’s Presidential campaigns. In the context of the debates, “where’s the beef?” was a phrase that was transformed into a challenge to others – a challenge to defend their ideas and support the substance of their answers. The phrase was an effective tool to put one’s competitors under careful examination. Throughout our lives, we too have questions and we seek answers, but how can we examine and accept the answers we receive, especially if we seek those answers from God.

This morning we hear the miraculous healing story of the Blind Man in John’s Gospel account. As Joe mentioned last week, John’s Gospel account is full of vivid imagery and complex themes that cause the reader to stop and ask many questions. The text itself is full of questions: “why are people born blind?” ask the disciples, “is this the man that used to sit and beg?” ask the neighbors, and “who is this man Jesus and did he really heal the blind man?” ask the Pharisees. In the midst of this miraculous event, there are a lot of people asking questions and we might wonder how we should respond to these amazing events; how should we respond to the difficult questions we face in our lives. There are many ways to respond, but I would like to consider just two different ways this morning.

The first way we might respond is in the same manner as the Blind Man who was healed. When questioned about what had happened to him, the man replied that he did not know how it happened, but the healing did happen and then he told the people about his experience: “‘The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ Then I went and washed and received my sight.’ They said to him, ‘Where is he?’ He said, ‘I do not know.’” (John 9:11-12) “I do not know,” said the man that was healed, but he was confident of his experience and he was willing to place his trust in Jesus…even though he did not completely understand how it happened or where Jesus had gone. In the midst of all these questions this man trusts in Jesus based on his experience, and he admits to the crowd when they ask where Jesus had gone – I do not know.

But the Pharisees are very different: everything that the Blind Man admits he does not know, the Pharisees are quite sure that they do know. The second way we might respond to the difficult questions of life is in the same manner as the Pharisees. The Pharisees were very serious about their religious commitments and their confidence in knowing the answers was due to the significant amount of time they had dedicated to studying the books of their faith. They were not going to leave anything to chance. They knew when you could heal someone and when you could not; they knew who was a sinner and who was righteous; and they knew who should be allowed in the synagogue and who should not. In their search for answers, the Pharisees found the man that was healed, questioned him and then dismissed him. They found the man’s parents, questioned them and then dismissed them. They returned to the man that was healed and continued to question him, seeking to find facts that would support “their truth;” the facts that would reveal that their understanding of God’s will was the way to righteousness. The Pharisees continued to question the man’s story, standing confidently before him as trustworthy disciples of Moses. When the man that was healed failed to comply with their assumptions, they dismissed him for a final time.

The story of the Blind Man’s miraculous healing is fascinating for many reasons, and if we listen closely to the story we find an important lesson. At the beginning of the story, the man that was born blind does not possess great knowledge of Jesus, but he continues to grow in his belief and understanding of Jesus and God’s action in the world by being open to the unfolding truths that are revealed to him. By the end of the story, the man has developed a belief in Jesus as the Messiah and has professed his faith in Jesus Christ. Conversely, at the beginning of the story, the Pharisees are the ones who hold great knowledge of religious life, but they become more frustrated as they reject the unfolding truths that are revealed to them because these events are not consistent with the rules by which they live. They choose to cling to their understandings and challenge those who dare to wonder at the miracles of life. We are presented with two different manners of seeking answers to the questions of our lives: the former blind man’s way of humility and openness to the unexpected gifts of God; and the Pharisees’ way of carefully controlled expectations and limited acceptance of new understandings. The story in our Gospel lesson this morning points to the joy of the open mind and the fear and rejection of the closed mind.

Yesterday morning we were blessed to have Martin Smith with us and he led us on a Quiet Day retreat – reflecting on the subject of “Taking the Cross to Heart.” He shared many insightful thoughts and images with the group; and one important point that he made was that the Cross of Christ completely releases us from the burden of expecting that God will control all things through a series of rules. Martin quoted the Apostle Paul as he wrote, “the Cross of Christ is foolishness and weakness” to those who do not understand the power of the Cross. But the Cross is powerful in the midst of its apparent foolishness and weakness. The power of the Cross is that God, in Christ, was here and is here with us in our joy and in our suffering. Each one of us is blessed with the indwelling of Christ and we are all invited into a lifelong relationship of seeking the answers to life, with Christ. As we continue our journey through Lent and travel the road that leads to the cross, may you remember that Christ is with you in all that you do and He has come to open your eyes to the miracles of God’s glory. AMEN.